Current Research
Smith, A. J., “A Tale of Two Lakes: TVA, Corps of Engineers, Recreation Planning and Country Music.“
Overview: The economic, cultural, and environmental landscape of Middle Tennessee changed dramatically during the 20th century. The region did an about-face from a predominantly agrarian society to a cosmopolitan enclave. The land surrounding Nashville shifted from farmland to suburbs, and as the baby boom created a regional population explosion in the 1950s and 1960s, the post-war recreational opportunities expanded steadily. Though many factors brought about the changes, there were three key players: the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), the US Army Corps of Engineers, and the growing country music industry. In an effort to control flooding in the region and create hydroelectric power, TVA worked with the US Army Corps of Engineers to create Old Hickory Lake in the 1950s and Percy Priest Lake in the 1960s. The two reservoirs created new opportunities for recreation and waterfront living that influenced the quality of life for the region’s growing middle class. It also displaced both poor white and African American communities who lived in the area that was flooded. Meanwhile, country music was expanding beyond “hillbilly music” into a full-blown industry. Country artists began to relocate to Nashville, often buying property to build homes fronting the newly created lakes. The convergence of these factors changed how the public perceived the land and interacted with it. My research seeks to document the land-use changes, environmental impact, and cultural diversity that occurred near Old Hickory Lake and Percy Priest Lake in Middle Tennessee from 1940- 2000 through a personal and historical lens.
A fall 2021 sabbatical allowed me to begin the research. During that time, I conducted research in the National Archives in Atlanta, the Country Music Hall of Fame, the University of Tennessee Archives in Knoxville, and the Tennessee State Archive in Nashville. Preliminary interviews were conducted with informants and land records were studied to determine patterns of procurement. The goal is to have a book proposal ready to send to publishers by 2023-24.